


Anything for You

by Janeway_in_a_TARDIS



Category: Ghostbusters (2016)
Genre: F/F, Family Reunions, Fluff, but what else is new, cause i'm really gay, erin is lactose intolerant, erin plays with little kids, erin's mother is obnoxious, featuring Kate's suit from The Spy Who Dumped Me, holtz plays with little kids, lots and lots of fluff, oh boy, they're such lovesick nerds, this is the fake dating fic no one asked for
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-23
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-01 10:23:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15772200
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janeway_in_a_TARDIS/pseuds/Janeway_in_a_TARDIS
Summary: In which Erin comes out as bi and then needs Holtz's help to come out to her family during a large family reunion. Featuring KM's suit from TSWDM because I'm really gay, and featuring a lactose-intolerant Erin because fussy Holtz is an adorable human.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! This is my first fic in this fandom (and my first fic in like two years) but I just rediscovered the movie and had an idea that my head wouldn't let me just not write. I wrote out the entire nearly-12000 word fic in the span of 48 hours when I should have been working on college essays, but I figured I'd break it into chapters so it would be a little easier to get through. Holtz is officially the hardest character for me to write of any that I've ever written, so I'm sorry if this is a little ooc. I did my best. <3

Holtz hadn’t expected to hear muffled hiccups when she went down to her lab at 4 am. She’d woken from a dream where she had made an adjustment to Erin’s proton pack and had wanted to start it before she forgot it (she found her dream-self was just as smart as, if not more so than, her waking self and she trusted her subconscious). What she hadn’t counted on was the quiet sniffles coming from seemingly nowhere.

“Uh hello?” She called out, somewhat concerned that an apparition had decided to haunt her workbench. She heard a muffled curse and the table jerked as someone hit it from underneath.

“Holtz? What, uh, what are you doing awake at this hour?” Holtzmann was taken aback. Of all the people she expected to be awake at 4 am and sitting under her workbench, Erin Gilbert was not one of them.

“Erin?” She responded, shocked, as the physicist crawled out from under the table. She had her arm strategically placed over her eyes in a vain attempt to keep the blonde from seeing her splotchy face.

“Uh yeah, sorry, just needed a little quiet. I’m going to go now,” the woman mumbled and tried to slip past her friend.

“Hey wait!” Holtz exclaimed, grabbing the sleeve of her friend’s hoodie. “Were you crying?” (she had never been very good at tact)

“N-No,” Erin tried to say. She cut herself off with a heaving sob. “I’m fi-i-i-iiiine.” The last part of her sentence was aimed at Holtzmann’s shoulder as her friend pulled her into a tight hug.

“I know that I’m not Abby, and I guess you still don’t even know me that well in the grand scheme of things but also in the timeline of the universe no one knows anyone for very long because no one exists for very long, but I’m also not really great at comfort or, well, emotions, but um you can always talk to me if you need to you know? And like I’ll always do my best to help you or or even just sit there if you want uh I don’t know but I just want you to trust me if you need someone because like everyone needs a person from time to time right? And uh now I’m rambling so I’m just going to shut up but just remember that we’re family and I lo- uh I’m here for you, okay?” Holtzmann felt her cheeks grow uncharacteristically warm as words fell from her lips at a pace she wasn’t quite used to. She shut herself off abruptly just before she accidentally word-vomited her feelings for the physicist, instead opting to just stroke the redhead’s hair and hope she was helping.

“Thanks,” Erin finally whispered into the blonde’s X-Files pajama shirt. 

“So do you want to go sit and talk or something?” Holtz finally asked. She was suddenly acutely aware of her friend’s breath on her neck. “We can go sit in reception so we don’t risk waking the others.” 

“Okay,” Erin said, still subdued and teary. She blindly followed as Holtz led her by the hand to the couches downstairs. She numbly felt a blanket fall onto her shoulders and she curled into it on impulse. 

“I’m going to run upstairs for a second. I’ll be right back, okay? Will you be okay for a few minutes?” 

“Yeah. I’ll be fine.” 

“Awesome.” Holtzmann flashed her a toothy grin and bounded up the stairs, taking both flights two at a time so that she could get back faster. 

As she skidded around the corner from the third floor landing into their kitchen, she was already calculating exactly how long it would take to warm lactose-free milk (Erin had found out recently that she was mildly lactose intolerant and the last thing Holtz wanted to do was give her an upset stomach in addition to an upset mind) to the perfect hot chocolate temperature. She quickly poured some into a mug and busied herself with grabbing the other ingredients as it warmed. She briefly thought about making herself a mug too, but _no, Erin needs me and it’ll take too long. I’ve gotta get back down faster in case she’s crying again._ In precisely 2 minutes and 23 seconds later, Holtz slapped on the lid she’d made for Erin’s favorite mug and hooked a leg around the firepole (she learned after the first time that mugs were not meant for fire poles. Instead of following that rule, of course, she’d improvised, and now every member of the team had their own personalized mug-cover. Her’s was the only one that got much use). 

“Hey,” she said softly as she made her way over to her distraught friend. “I brought you something.” Holtzmann held out her friend’s mug. 

“Oh, Holtz, that’s sweet but I’m-” 

“It’s lactose-free,” Holtz quickly reassured her. “And I put a dash of cinnamon in it and already stirred in the whipped cream and didn’t put in marshmallows because I know you don’t really like it when they melt into the cocoa.” 

“You...remembered all that?” Erin whispered, eyes wide as she gingerly took the mug from her friend. “Holtzy, that’s...incredibly sweet of you.” 

Holtzmann just grinned at her and flopped next to her on the couch. She decided not to press her friend for details, because the redhead was already beginning to look less like her world was shattering. Holtz figured she’d share if she needed to. After about five minutes of not uncomfortable silence, Erin finally sighed. 

“I guess I owe you an explanation, huh?” She murmured, eyes locked onto the swirling liquid in her half-drained mug. 

“I-I mean, not if you don’t want to or anything. Like, you don’t have to talk. I’m just, ya know. I just wanna, um-” 

“No, Holtz, it’s okay. I guess now’s as good of a time as any, and who better to tell than you.” Erin nervously brought a hand to the back of her neck. “I, uh, I kinda recently figured out that I’m...bisexual.” 

Holtzmann’s face lit up. _This_ she could deal with. “Really? When? How’d you find out? Did you, um,” her voice faltered slightly at her next thought but she cleared her throat and pushed through, determined to have her friend’s coming out be a happy experience. “Did you meet a cute girl?” 

Erin smiled sardonically. “I guess you could say that. I just don’t know what to do now, I guess. I just wanted _something_ about me to be normal. Just _one goddamn thing._ But nope, here I go yet again, embarrassing myself with one more stupid thing I have to deal with. And of course, one more stupid thing that I have to tell my parents.” Erin buried her face in her hands. 

“Hey,” Holtz soothed, rubbing a hand on her friend’s back. “I don’t think it’s weird. And you don’t have to tell them right away if you don’t want to. Just take things at the pace you’re comfortable with. It’ll be okay. I’m here to help if you need it, yeah?” 

“I have to go back there in two weeks, Holtz. I just don’t know how I’m going to face my mother after this. Every year we have to go to this giant idiotic family reunion with all of my mom’s family and every year they all get drunk and start talking and it just gets grosser and grosser and this year I’m going to have to sit through their stupid homophobic comments and know that they’re talking about me.” Erin finally looked back up at her friend, eyes once again pricking with tears. “I just don’t think I can do it.” 

“Then just don’t go! They’ll be okay if you miss a year!” Holtz said, trying to be encouraging. “Just say you have too much work to do here!” 

“I can’t just abandon them for no reason! My mother would guilt trip me horribly. And besides,” Erin’s voice softened. “My sister is bringing her kids this year. I haven’t seen them since Amanda was three and Erica had just been born. They’re six and three now.” 

“Well, do you want me to go with you?” Holtz asked, eyes suddenly bright and eager. “I can be great moral support!” 

“My mom would never allow it,” Erin sighed. “It’s always strictly family and S.O.s only.” 

Holtz grinned. “Well then you can still take me! You can come out by saying you want to bring your girlfriend and it might soften the blow! Um, if you’re cool with pretending to date me, that is.” Holtzmann suddenly sheepishly turned away, realizing that she sounded rather presumptuous. 

“You’d do that for me?” Erin asked, looking shocked. 

“Of course! I’d do anything for you, Erin.” Holtz stared at her with such intense sincerity in her warm blue eyes that Erin had to look away as she felt her pulse suddenly increase. She cleared her throat before replying. 

“I wouldn’t want to make you deal with my family though. They’re a little much, even just for me, and I’ve lived with them my entire life.” 

“Believe me, I know a thing or two about families that are ‘a little much.’ There’s a reason I am the way I am,” Holtz replied softly, breaking eye contact to suddenly become very interested in the thread of the knit blanket which had fallen off of Erin’s shoulders. 

Erin let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Having Holtz there to help her face her family _did_ seem like a nice idea. 

“Okay.” Her response was little more than a puff of air. She tried again, voice much stronger as she warmed to the idea. “Okay. Okay,” she said one final time, as a smile crept along her face. Suddenly she frowned again. “But no teaching my little cousins or my nieces how to build or explode things, got it?” 

Holtzmann just winked in response. Erin’s sigh was made much less effective by her grin.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support on the first chapter!! I love you all. <333

The next morning, Erin came out to the rest of the team over breakfast. They were all as supportive as she knew they’d be (even Kevin, although she wasn’t fully convinced that he knew what he was supporting). 

Patty simply said “Good for you, baby. You do you. Or her. Or whoever. Just let me know beforehand so I don’t have to hear you because whooooo these walls are thin!” Erin chuckled shyly at her friend. She glanced at Abby. 

“You know I always have your back,” Abby said with a smile. Erin felt her eyes get misty. She just smiled and pulled her into a tight hug. 

Later that day, Holtz waltzed over to Erin’s desk. “So, honey pie, when do we leave for the big vacation? Do I need to pack a suit?” 

Erin’s cheeks warmed at the pet name. “I bought you a train ticket this morning but I haven’t told my mom yet. Are you sure about this? I can still cancel. It feels like a lot to ask.” 

“Erin,” Holtz said seriously, suddenly dropping all flirtatious pretense. “I meant what I said last night. I’d do anything for you. Anything. And if this makes you feel more secure, I’m all in, 110%.” _And if it gives me a chance to get closer to you well that’s just an added bonus._ Holtz added in her head. 

“Thank you,” Erin said, genuinely touched. She covered one of Holtz’s gloved hands with one of her own. “That means a lot to me.” 

“Always,” Holtz breathed. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, she slipped back into her flirtatious stance. “Let me know if you need help with anything else, Hot Stuff.” Holtz gave her a suggestive once-over and sent a wink her way before swaggering back over to her workbench to play with some metal scraps. Erin tried to ignore her burning cheeks.

***

At the end of the day, Holtz glanced up from her blowtorch to see Erin hovering at her workbench. She set it down and flipped up her mask. 

“Hey! I’m _solder_ -lighted to see you! You really look _fire_ today.” Holtz grinned as Erin groaned and rolled her eyes. “What’s up?” 

“First, you’ve said that to me upwards of ten times now. You really need new puns. Second, uh,” Erin once again looked somewhat embarrassed to ask her friend for help. “I have to call my mom and tell her your coming. If it’s too much to ask that’s fine; I just, uh, well my mom isn’t going to take this great so, um…” Erin trailed off, not quite sure how to ask her friend for yet another favor. Luckily, Holtz caught on. 

“You want me to be there with you?” She asked, blue eyes soft. 

“Please,” Erin whispered. 

“Of course,” Holtz replied with a gentle smile and a squeeze of Erin’s hand. Erin took a deep breath and sat in a chair near the workbench as she dialed. She put it on speaker as her mother answered. Holtz seemed to understand her glance and went silent. 

“Erin? Honey? What’s up baby?” 

“Uh hi Mom. I wanted to-” 

“Erin, baby, you’re still coming on Monday, right? And you’re absolutely sure you can’t come Sunday for church? We could even go to the afternoon service!” 

“No, Mom, actually that’s what I was calling to talk about-” 

“Well, baby, don’t forget Mina and Josh and the kids are coming then. You could have more time with them.” 

Holtzmann grimaced as Erin’s mom continued to try to wheedle her daughter into arriving a day earlier. After a few minutes of going around in circles, Erin was finally able to convince her mother that she wouldn’t be able to get a new train ticket on such a short notice (Holtzmann almost snorted at that one. The Ghostbusters had sometimes gotten train tickets minutes before the train departed. There were sometimes perks to being local celebrities). 

Erin glanced at Holtz to steel herself and plunged forward with the conversation. 

“So, um, Mom, there was one more thing I wanted to tell you. You should plan on one more person coming. I’m, um, I’m bringing someone this year.” 

“ _Oh my goodness!_ Oh sweetheart did you finally meet a good man? After all these years? I never thought you’d do it! Is it that lovely Phil you were with a while back?” Holtz pulled a face. 

“No, Mom. No, it isn’t Phil. That ended. Um, this one is, well, her name is Holtzmann.” 

The line went silent for what felt like an eternity. 

“Mom?” Erin tried again. 

“Darling, I think you just misspoke. And where did you meet this Holtzmann? He sounds like a very interesting fellow.” 

“I didn’t misspeak. I work with her. Jillian Holtzmann. You’ve probably seen us on the news together.” 

“Erin Marie Gilbert, just _what_ are you trying to tell me?” Her mother’s voice sounded strained and shrill. Holtz had to do everything in her power to keep from shrinking away from it. 

“I’m bisexual, Mom.” The tension in the air was so thick that Holtz briefly wondered if she could cut it with her laser saw. 

“How _dare_ you?” Erin’s mother finally shrieked. “How dare you mock me like this? I have done nothing but raise you well and you dare suddenly throw at me this this _sexual deviancy?_ This is disgraceful. You are just going through a phase because you are lonely. I will not let you bring this _woman_ to our family gathering.” Holtz turned to Erin to concede, but before she can say anything, she realized Erin’s face was screwed up and red with anger. 

“For _four years_ Uncle Marty brought his boyfriend. You refused to acknowledge his existence. FOR FOUR YEARS. I am going to bring my girlfriend, and I am going to introduce her to my family, and I am going to kiss her _right under your roof_ if I so choose to. And there is _nothing_ you can do about it because I know for a fact that you care _much_ more about how people perceive you than you do literally anything else and if you don’t let me bring Holtz I swear to God I will tell the entire family how much of a _bigot_ you actually are!” 

“Fine,” her mother said icily after a pause. “I’ll see you on Monday, Erin. And I will pray for you to get out of this phase, because you are obviously not going to church this Sunday.” With that, there was a click and the call ended. 

It took every ounce of self-control that Erin had not to throw her cell phone at the wall. Instead, she opted to scream. 

“I HATE HER! Why can’t she just mind her own fucking business? Why does she think that she can just CONTROL me however she sees fit? Just! AGH!” Erin stopped seething and turned to Holtz, seeing worry in her friend’s eyes. “Sorry Holtz. That was probably a lot to lay on you. Excited for this week yet?” Erin chuckled mirthlessly and rolled her eyes. 

In a sudden surge of emotion, Holtz stood and wrapped the older woman in a hug. “Yes.” Erin just sighed and buried her face in Holtzmann’s shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

One long train ride later (and a few “Holtzmann if that contraption does anything other than just sit there while we are on this train, I swear to God I will never speak to you again”s), the two women arrived in Michigan. They hailed a cab and settled in for the 45-minute car ride to Erin’s hometown.

As they grew closer, Erin could slowly feel herself get antsier. Suddenly she wasn’t so sure of this plan. Why did she decide bringing Holtz was a good idea? It would just rile her mother up and freak out Holtz and eventually ruin their friendship. And _absolutely_ their chances of anything else. She felt her breath start to stutter and she started bouncing her leg just to give herself something to do. Suddenly, there was a warm hand on her knee. 

“Hey, it’ll be okay,” Holtz said, smiling softly. 

“Please don’t hate me if this goes badly,” Erin whispered. 

“Never! Erin, I could never hate you. We’re family!” Holtz looked scandalized at the very idea of it. “Besides, Hot Stuff, if it goes badly maybe you’ll let me cause a little chaos.” Holtz shot her a grin and a wink. Erin blushed and looked away. The women rode in silence for a while before Holtz spoke up again. 

“So, um, shouldn’t we try to work out this fake dating thing? I, just, I’ve read enough about these types of things to know that fake dating needs _really_ well-set boundaries. Cause like otherwise it gets messy somewhere in there and yeah.” 

“Read enough of what?” Erin asked. Holtz’s jaw dropped and her cheeks colored as she realized that she had revealed her secret. 

“ _I absolutely do not read or write X Files fanfiction whaaaaaaat?_ " Holtz stuttered out. “Um, but yes, boundaries! Let’s talk about those!” Erin giggled slightly at Holtz’s pink face. 

“Okay umm, how long have we been dating?” Erin couldn’t help but stare as her friend’s face screwed up in thought. She seemed to be thinking as carefully about this as she did one of her machines. 

“After the ecto-pocalypse? We could say that we just ‘couldn’t stand the thought of losing each other’ and we just ‘had to be together after that,’” Holtz says the last bit of the sentence with a dramatic flourish and throws a wrist across her eyes while falling back against the window of the car. Erin smiles ever so slightly at the subtle truth of it. Holtz’s bone-crushing hug after the incident with the portal had been what finally cemented Erin’s crush on the engineer. 

“Sounds good. How about physical contact? How okay are you with that?” Erin said, slightly unable to look her friend in the eye with this one. She tried desperately (and failed just as desperately) to not be hopeful about it. Her breath caught as the other woman casually slung an arm over her shoulders and scooted closer. 

“Like this?” Holtz virtually breathed into Erin’s ear. Erin shivered slightly at the touch. 

“I-If you’re comfortable with it, this is, eh-hem, perfect.” Erin tried to clear her throat to make her voice go back to it’s usual lower pitch, but it didn’t seem to do much. 

“I’m always comfortable cuddling up to a beautiful woman,” Holtz shot back with a wink. Erin blushed and looked away. 

“How comfortable are you with pet names?” Holtz asked after a moment of companionable silence (in which she still hadn’t moved her arm from around the taller woman’s shoulders). 

“Well, I mean you kind of already give me them so we might as well,” Erin replied and raised an eyebrow. “Just not over the top, I guess.” 

“Anything for you, babe,” Holtz once again grinned her signature cat-got-the-cream grin. Erin sighed. This was going to be a long three days of resisting the urge to kiss her best friend senseless. What had she gotten herself into? 

*** 

When they stepped out of the car, Holtz saw Erin take a stuttering breath as she faced her childhood home. The engineer had never realized just how much money Erin had come from. She decided now was not the time to comment. Instead, she quietly slipped an arm around the physicist’s waist and hugged her from behind. 

“It’ll be okay Er-Bear. You’ll see.” 

“I hope so. Just gotta go in, I guess. No time like the present.” 

Holtz slid out from behind her and held out a hand. “Ready, m’lady?” 

“As I’ll ever be.” Hand-in-hand, they walked up to the door. It swung open immediately after Erin knocked. 

“Erinnnnn! Hi babyyyyy.” Erin’s mother crooned and pulled her in for a very awkward hug. Both women were stiff, and seemed just to be going through the motions of physical contact. Holtz pulled a face. It didn’t even look very hug-like. 

Erin finally pulled herself free and her mother immediately turned her piercing gaze onto Holtzmann. The blonde felt herself unconsciously straighten her posture and resisted the urge to fix her hair again. The woman practically radiated judgement. Holtz was suddenly glad that she’d worn her not-stained overalls and tie today. 

“And you must be Erin’s...friend,” the woman sniffed. 

“Girlfriend, actually,” Holtz specified and took Erin’s hand again, somewhat protectively. “But yes. Jillian Holtzmann, at your service. I go by Holtz.” She stuck out her hand to shake and the woman ignored it. 

“Brenda Gilbert. You may call me Mrs. Gilbert.” With that, the stout woman turned on her heel to show them inside the house. 

“Erin, I made up the guest room for your guest. If you’d brought a date, he could have stayed with you, but I felt that was hardly appropriate in this situation.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Holtz cut in, starting to get annoyed at the woman. How had Erin grown up with this? “There must have been some misunderstanding. I am most certainly Erin’s date. I don’t mean chummy girlfriend who is just a gal pal and goes to sleepovers. I mean serious girlfriend to happens to love this woman a lot and would appreciate your acknowledgement of her because like it or not, I’m here. And so is Erin. So I’m going to stay in the same room as her, thank you very much, and if we want, we’re going to have very gay sex under this very roof because we are grown adults.” 

Erin looked somewhere between startled, scandalized, and proud. Her mother just looked angry. 

“Erin, would you be so kind as to show Jillian to her room. Your sister and her family will be here soon. See that you don’t corrupt them,” the woman said snippily and stalked off. Holtz felt Erin relax marginally as soon as she’d left. Holtz turned to her in alarm, realizing she’d once again screwed things up by word vomiting. 

“Erin I’m so so sorry I didn’t mean to please forgive oh no I’m sorry she was just and then you were and I had to defend you but I’m bad at and I’m sorry,” Holtz couldn’t quite get a full sentence out when she saw the look of anger on Erin’s face. _Oh no oh no oh no oh no._ Erin’s features relaxed when she looked at the other woman. 

“No no, Holtzy, I’m not mad at you. You said exactly the right thing. I’m just sorry she’s treating you like this. It’s really unfair to you and I shouldn’t have brought you into this.” Erin wrapped the engineer in a hug. “C’mon. Let’s bring our stuff to my room. Or, well, I mean, unless you want to sleep in the guest room. But if not I’ll just sleep on the floor in my room and you can have my bed because-” Erin cut herself off as Holtz shook her head against her shoulder. 

“I don’t want to take your bed, Erin. I’ll be okay on the floor.” 

“I can’t make you do that! You’re the one having to put up with my family for me!” 

“You have to put up with them too!” Holtz said, sounding worried. She pulled back from the hug and looked the taller woman in the eyes. “I’m on the floor. No arguing.” With that, Holtz decisively grabbed her duffel bag and wandered down a hall. 

“No, Holtz! That’s the wrong hall!” 

*** 

An hour later, Holtzmann was sitting quietly in the little blanket nest she had built herself on the floor of Erin’s childhood bedroom. The decor was straight out of the 90’s with bright pink everything. It wouldn’t have been out of place in a Barbie magazine, except for the one corner plastered floor-to-ceiling in posters about science. Holtz thought it was a little creepy how Erin’s parents had just preserved her room from her teenage years, but she knew better than to say anything about it. Instead, she opted to play with a little Newton’s Cradle that had been sitting on Erin’s bright pink desk as she waited for her friend to get out of the shower. She was so immersed in the little physics game that she jumped when someone knocked on the bedroom door and a voice called out “Erin?” Holtz stood up and opened the door. 

Standing in the doorway was a tall woman who wouldn’t have looked out of place modeling in a beauty magazine. She had Erin’s same long auburn hair and kind eyes. Holtz knew this had to be Mina. If Erin hadn’t already told her that her sister was 5 years younger, Holtz would have thought they were twins. 

“Uh, hi,” Holtz stammered. 

“I’m sorry who are you?” Mina asked, looking just as shocked. Holtzmann flashed her a winning smile and a signature salute. 

“Jillian Holtzmann, absolutely jazzed to meet you.” 

“Um, and why are you in my sister’s room?” 

“Erin’s in the shower. I guess your mom didn’t tell you, huh? Hi, I’m the girlfriend,” Holtz hesitantly stuck a hand out, hoping for a better reaction than she got from the eldest Gilbert woman. She got it immediately. 

“Oh my _God_!” Mina squealed and dragged Holtzmann into a bone-crushing hug. “Erin didn’t tell me she was seeing someone! It’s so great to finally meet you! You’re Holtz! She talks about you constantly!” 

“I-wha-she _does_?” Holtz stammered as she pulled back. 

“Yes! Oh my God she’s done nothing but talk about you like the last four times we’ve talked! I didn’t know she finally had the guts to ask you out! I knew she liked you! Hah! Honestly, this girl needs to-” 

“Mina?” Holtz heard her friend’s voice as she turned around in a bit of a daze. _Erin talks about her. Her sister thought she liked her._ Holtz filed the information away for further study. 

“Erinnnnnnn!!” Mina shrieked and ran to her sister. “Why didn’t you _tell me_ you’re finally dating Holzmann!” Erin jaw dropped and her cheeks pinkened. She obviously hadn’t thought about her sister’s reaction. 

“I, uh, wanted to surprise you! Yeah! I thought it would be a great surprise for when you and the kids got here!” Holtz tried her best not to laugh at the feeble excuse. Mina didn’t seem to notice, or maybe she was just too excited to care. 

“I’m so happy for youuuuuuu!” She started dancing circles around her older sister. Suddenly, she solemned. “How’d Mom take it?” 

Erin sighed. “Well she made up the guest room for her and insists on calling her my ‘friend’ and also calls her Jillian even though Holtz asked her not to.” 

Mina turned back to the engineer, who up until now had just been awkwardly hovering at the door and observing the interaction. 

“I’m so sorry about Mom. She has a good heart, just rather...antiquated values. She’ll come around. She always does.” 

“Maybe for you,” Erin muttered. 

“Oh Er, she’ll come around for you too. Don’t be such a downer. Let yourself live a little!” 

Erin’s face fell ever so slightly and Holtz automatically walked over to envelop her in a hug from behind, resting her head on the taller woman’s shoulder. She briefly noted how easily she had gotten used to this position, but put the thought aside for now. 

“Thanks, Holtzy,” Erin murmured, and rested her still-damp head against Holtzmann’s own blonde updo. 

“Always, Er-Bear.” 

“Awwwwwww!” Both women jumped, having somewhat forgotten that Mina was still in the room. “Er, I totally see why you were so obsessed with her. She’s adorable! I’ll give you two a moment. But you should come down as soon as you’re ready! I’ve been hyping up ‘Auntie Erin’ to the girls and they want to see you!” 

Erin’s cheeks colored as her sister waltzed out of the room. 

“For the record,” she muttered. “I’m not obsessed with you.” 

Holtz laughed and broke away. “Hey Hot Stuff, it’s no sin to obsess over what you like!” She shot her a wink as she walked backwards towards the door. Erin blushed and followed her out of the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holtz writes fanfiction and doesn't know how to deal with emotions and honestly what a mood


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a little later in the day than normal, my dears! I had an audition for an acting gig at a theme park (and I got the role!) so I've been out and about all day. Enjoy! <333

When the women got downstairs, they were greeted by the sight of Erin’s sister’s family swirling around in the main room. As they came down, the movement slowed to a halt. The two little girls (each looking as angelic as their mother) skidded to a stop in their game of tag and then scampered behind the man who Holtz assumed to be their father. Erin reached down and grabbed her hand before stepping off the staircase, engineer in tow.

“Josh! It’s lovely to see you again,” Erin said with what seemed to be a genuine smile. 

“Erin,” the man said with a nod. “Holtz.” Another nod. “Mina was telling me about you.” 

Holtzmann gave him a grin and a salute before her attention turned to the little girls peeking out from behind his legs. Erin let go of her hand to kneel near them. 

“Hi girls. You probably don’t remember me, but I’m your Auntie Erin! I’m your Mommy’s sister. I saw you guys when you were really little.” Holtz felt a fond smile spread across her face as Erin introduced herself to the little girls and they slowly began to warm to her, the older one finally bold enough to emerge from her father’s protective shield to give her aunt a hug. They talked for a bit about the zoo they had gone to that day until Erin remembered to introduce Holtz to the kids (not that she was going to complain; the blonde could have happily observed Erin with little kids all day). 

“And this is my girlfriend Hol-” 

“Jillian. Or you guys can call me Jill if you promise not to tell anyone I let you do it,” Holtz interrupted with a wink at the girls. Her joking elicited a giggle from Amanda and the two girls wandered over to where Holtz was still leaning against the banister. 

“Up!” The little one said, reaching to Holtz. She glanced at Mina to confirm it was okay to pick up the girl and was greeted by a warm smile and a nod. She swooped Erica into her arms and made the noise of a jet engine. The little girl shrieked in laughter and clapped her hands. As she was playing with the girls, she locked eyes with a grinning Erin and saw the woman’s face get a dusting of pink. She winked and continued playing with the girls for a few minutes until Erin’s mother called them into the dining room for dinner. 

As they wandered into the other room, Holtz felt Erin slip an arm around her waist and lean into her (and had to remind herself _it’s just for show it’s just for show don’t get used to it Holtzmann_ ). She automatically slung an arm around the taller woman’s shoulders. 

“You’re so good with them,” Erin murmured, barely loud enough for even her companion to hear. 

“I, uh, used to do a lot of babysitting as a teenager. Money was pretty tight sometimes so I took what I could get. And my little brother and I are nine years apart, so I kinda grew up taking care of kids this age. It’s just second nature at this point.” 

“It’s sweet,” Erin said with a smile. She opened her mouth to continue, but was interrupted by a portly man with a mustache. 

“So Erin. This is the infamous Jillian, is it?” 

“Holtz. She goes by Holtz. But yes, Dad. This is my girlfriend.” 

The "girlfriend" in question took quiet satisfaction at seeing Mrs. Gilbert flinch at the word. “Lovely to meet you, sir.” 

Mr. Gilbert gave her a once-over. “Ed Gilbert. Likewise.” That out of the way, the man went back to flipping through something on a tablet. 

“Gramma, I wanna sit next to Aunt Erin and Aunt Jilly!” Amanda piped up, tugging on the pant leg of her grandmother. 

“Jillian isn’t your Aunt, dear,” Mrs. Gilbert said, side-stepping the child’s request. 

“Yeah she is!” The little girl looked solemn and turned to stage whisper to her grandmother. “ _She’s Auntie Erin’s girlfriend._ ” 

“Girls can’t have girlfriends, sweetheart,” Mrs. Gilbert carefully replied, before turning her icy eyes on her two daughters as a warning. Apparently, Mina either didn’t understand it, or she simply decided to ignore the message. 

“Mom,” she said, voice hard. “Let me mother my own daughter please.” She then turned to the girl in question. “Girls can have girlfriends if they want, honey. Gramma just doesn’t have one because she has Grandpa like I have Daddy.” 

“So Jilly is Auntie Erin’s Daddy?” Holtz had to cover up a snort of laughter with a cough. Mina grinned, seemingly also trying not to laugh. Josh seemed to be actively ignoring the conversation. Erin was just very red. 

“Yes, sweetie. That’s sorta the idea,” Mina finally replied. 

“Okay!” Amanda said. “Then I still want to sit next to Auntie Erin, but she can sit next to Aunt Jilly because I know you like sitting next to Daddy.” 

Erin smiled happily at the fact that her niece wanted to sit with her. “Thank you, sweetie,” she said softly. 

“Yeah! You’re cool, Auntie Erin! Don’t worry, so are you, Aunt Jilly! I just want to sit next to Auntie Erin today. I’ll sit next to you later,” the little girl said decisively. 

“That’s okay, honey. We’ll have lots of time to sit together,” Holtz said with a smile at the girl. 

That settled, the family sat down to a somewhat uneasy dinner. 

*** 

After a few hours of food, wine, and talking, the girls got sleepy and their parents decided to go to bed too. Holtz and Erin soon followed (mostly because Erin didn’t think she could have taken another barrage of underhanded insults from her mother). 

“I’m going to take a shower and get ready for bed,” Holtz said once they got back to Erin’s room, dropping the physicist’s hand. Erin tried not to miss the easy contact. 

“I’ll be here,” she replied with a quiet smile. 

“Don’t get too wild while I’m gone, sweetie pie.” Holtz smirked and threw her a wink as she walked out of the room. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Erin whispered to the closed door. She fell backward onto her hot pink duvet. 

She had always hated this thing. Hated this room. Hated this house. Hated this lifestyle. She sighed. Two more days. On, the bright side, however, that meant two more days of pretending to date the girl of her dreams. She sighed again. _That_ was a whole separate issue. She both loved and hated how easily she and Holtz had fallen into an easy pattern of affection and pet names. Even after just a half a day, her instinct was to grab the blonde’s hand and lean into her easily. She found herself wanting to just constantly be touching some part of the woman. Seeing her so easily fall into playing with her nieces had nearly caused her brain to overload. She was utterly enamored. She sighed a third time. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. 

“So you just decided to piss off Mom, huh?” Erin jumped so suddenly at her sister’s voice that she fell off her bed with a thump. 

“Mina! Don’t _do_ that!” Erin gasped. Her sister had always had a knack for somehow getting into Erin’s room without her even noticing the door open. 

“Sorry, sis,” the younger woman said with a grin that said she was anything but sorry. “I just had to talk to you out of the presence of your lovely companion.” 

“Sure, Mimi. What’s up?” Erin asked, crawling back up on the bed as her sister sat next to her on the edge of it. 

“You two aren’t actually a thing,” Mina stated, raising an eyebrow at her sister. 

“Whaaaat? Yeah, we are! We totally are! We have been for like, like, months! We-” Erin cut herself off and sighed when her sister glanced pointedly to Holtz’s pillow and blanket nest on the floor. “Yeah okay, we aren’t. I wanted to tell them I’m bi. Holtzy’s gay and it was just...easier this way I guess.” Erin looked down at her hands. 

“And it helps that you’re head over heels in love with each other,” Mina supplied brightly. 

“Wh-what?! No! We’re just! It isn’t like that, Mimi!” Her sister once again raised a delicate eyebrow. Erin sighed and conceded once again. “Okay, okay. Maybe I like her. But she doesn’t feel that way about me.” 

“Girl, if the way she looks at you is platonic, I will personally eat Erica’s baby puffs for every meal for the next month. She feels just as strongly for you as you do for her. Trust me, Er. You should go for it. You won’t regret it.” 

“I just don’t know. Holtz flirts with _everyone_. I’m not special. I’m just...plain.” Her last word was barely a breath. 

“Oh c’mon, Erin. You hunt ghosts together. _For a living._ I think that’s pretty damn special. You’ve got to just talk to her! It’ll work out.” 

Before Erin could respond, the door opened and in walked Holtz, hair damp and down. Erin had a brief moment of being mesmerized by stringy blonde curls. 

“Oh! Hi Mina! I thought you’d gone to bed already. Sorry, am I interrupting something?” Holtz hovered slightly awkwardly in the doorway. 

“Nope! I was just saying goodnight to my favorite sister!” Mina said brightly, bouncing off the bed. 

“Mimi, I’m your _only_ sister,” Erin said with exasperated fondness. 

“That’s what _you_ think!” The younger woman shot back before letting the door swing shut. Erin smiled and shook her head at her sister’s antics. Holtz was grinning. 

“I like her,” the blonde said, nodding to the closed door. 

“Yeah, Mina’s pretty special. She’s a bit of an airhead sometimes, but I don’t know what I’d do without her.” 

“Aww that’s cute. Alright Er-Bear, I think I’m going to hit the hay. Tomorrow’s a big day! A family reunion gala sounds like something I should be fully rested for.” 

Erin agreed and went to turn off the light as Holtz shuffled in her blanket pile. As they lay in the darkness, Erin could hear Holtz still trying to get comfortable. She had had many a sleepover (also known as unsuccessful ghost stakeout) with Abby on that floor, and she knew that while the carpet was plush, it was also itchy. 

“Hey Holtz?” She asked into the dark. 

“Hm?” Erin could hear her wiggling still. 

“Do you just wanna come up here with me? The bed’s big enough.” 

“I, uh, only if you want to. Like, just if you’re comfortable with it. That is to say, I don’t want to make you do-” 

Erin cut her off before the engineer could really get going with her ramble. “Just get up here.” 

“Okay.” Erin felt her slide into bed next to her. 

“Night, Holtzmann,” she whispered into the dark. 

“Night, Erin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, just so you all know, this is totally unbetaed oops ahaha. Now taking applications? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	5. Chapter 5

The next day, Holtz blinked lazily and automatically stretched her arms out as she slipped back into the waking world, before suddenly realizing she was no longer on her pillow and instead on something much cushier. She stiffened and looked up to see mirth-filled blue eyes peering down at her.

“I didn’t know you were part koala, Holtzy,” Erin said, poorly containing her laughter. 

Understanding of the situation dawned upon the blonde and she sat bolt upright in embarrassment, immediately uttering apologies. At some point in the night, she had apparently shifted over and wrapped herself around the other woman, effectively trapping them both while using the redhead's chest as a pillow. 

Erin laughed again and propped herself up on her elbows. “Holtzmann it’s really okay! I like cuddles as much as anyone.” Holtz felt herself relax at her friend’s reassurances. 

“Well in that case… I’m going right back where I was,” Holtz mumbled, still mostly asleep. She settled back in (although she didn’t put her head _exactly_ where it’d been. She was a gentleman after all) and slung an arm over her friend’s midsection. Erin’s arm came up to encircle her back. Holtz hummed happily and burrowed herself closer to her friend. She tried to ignore the voice in her head screaming about not being platonic. The two women laid there in content silence for a while, before a knock on the door roused them. 

“Er?” Mina called, voice muffled by the wood. “Mom wanted me to make sure you’re awake.” 

Erin sighed and sat up, taking Holtz with her (who simply pouted and clung on tighter). “Yeah, we’re getting up.” 

Mina swung open the door. “Okay. Hey, which dress-WOAH okay sorry I’ll leave!” The woman said as she saw Holtz hugging Erin’s torso and looking sleepy. She quickly left. Holtz couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“I’m never gonna hear the end of this one,” Erin laughed, not sounding the least bit upset. Holtz looked confused. Wouldn’t bed snuggles be normal for a couple? “Oh, yeah, Mina totally saw through us. Sorry, I meant to tell you last night. She won’t tell anyone, but she knows we aren’t, well, you know.” Erin blushed and gave some sort of weak flap of her hands. Holtz giggled at her friend’s adorable antics. She leaned her head back into her new favorite chin rest, also known as the meeting place of Erin’s shoulder and neck. 

“Come on, Holtzy, it’s time to actually get up,” Erin chuckled, shaking the blonde’s shoulder. 

“I don wanna,” she mumbled, scooting closer. Waking up was never her best thing. It was why she usually only slept for a few hours and went back to work. That way she couldn’t get too comfortable in any one place. 

“We’ve got to get ready for the gala, remember? We’ve got to go antagonize my relatives with our gayness.” 

Holtz perked up slightly at this. Erin had said the reunion was a formal affair and so Holtz had brought her favorite sparkly suit, just to bother the physicist’s uptight family. (Plus there was a part of her that really wanted Erin to see her in a flattering suit, but she wasn’t going to acknowledge that.) 

“Fiiiiine,” she sighed and released Erin’s abdomen before rolling out of bed. “But I get bathroom first Gilbert!” She teased, suddenly back to her usual high-energy self. She grabbed her things and ran down the hall to the sound of Erin’s deep sigh. 

The gala was apparently an all-day affair, so the women got ready right away. Holtz found herself adjusting every line of her suit and the corners of her blood red lipstick multiple times before she exited the bathroom. By the time she was ready, Erin’s room was empty. Holtz wandered downstairs to try to find her. She poked her head into a few rooms before wandering back to the main hall to wait for everyone else. She didn’t want to risk getting lost in the big house. 

After a few minutes she heard the sound of thundering little feet and Erin’s nieces came barreling down the stairs towards her. 

“Aunt Jilliannnnnnn!” Amanda shouted as she and her sister wrapped their arms around Holtz’s legs. 

“Well hi there!” Holtz laughed. “You two look very pretty!” 

The girls were in matching puffy dresses that came down to their knees, Amanda’s in navy blue and Erica’s in a sunny yellow. Amanda had had her hair curled and pinned back, and Erica’s was in two tiny pigtails on the top of her head. 

“So do you, Aunt Jilly! You look beautiful! You’re so sparkly!” Amanda said with wide eyes as she stared up at the engineer. 

“Up!” Erica said, once again holding her arms out to Holtz. She happily obliged as the girls’ parents descended the stairs at a more reasonable pace. As they stepped down, Holtz caught sight of the woman walking behind them and her jaw dropped. Erin Gilbert was in a floor-length green dress that flowed slightly as she walked, with matching green heels poking out from under the skirt. She absolutely was glowing. Holtz couldn’t seem take her eyes off the older woman. Erin caught her staring and her cheeks went pink. She paused two stairs from the bottom. 

“What do you think?” The physicist shyly asked. 

“Wow. Just. Wow. I’m...really gay. I mean. Just. Gods, Gilbert, you clean up well,” Holtz stuttered, trying desperately to string words together coherently. She was dimly aware of Mina taking Erica out of her arms and she mumbled her thanks. Erin came fully down the stairs and glanced her friend over, before locking eyes with her. 

“You look incredible,” Erin said, seemingly having just as much trouble with words. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you with your hair down like this.” The redhead slowly reached a hand out and gently ran one of the engineer’s blonde ringlets through her fingers. This time it was Holtz’s turn to blush shyly as Erin’s hand came to rest lightly on her shoulder. She couldn’t figure out when they had gotten so close, or when she had slipped her hand around Erin’s waist to pull her even closer, only to discover the back of the other woman’s dress dipped further than she thought the rather conservative physicist would have dared. Her skin was warm under the engineer’s calloused fingers and it took every ounce of self-restraint she had not to let her hand roam. One of them, or maybe both of them (Holtz wasn’t quite sure and had far more important things to figure out at the moment), started moving closer until they were breathing the same air. Holtz’s gaze drifted down to Erin’s lips. Erin breathed in sharply. Holtz leaned forwards and- 

“Erin! Where are you?” Both women froze as Mrs. Gilbert’s shrill voice rang out. _Shit._ Erin quickly stepped out of Holtzmann’s embrace and went into the kitchen. Holtz took a deep breath and sat on the bottom stair. She put her head in her hands. _Calm down, Holtzmann,_ she told herself. _That was a stupid decision. Have some self-control goddamnit. How do you expect to make it through the day like this?_ She took a steadying breath and marched into the kitchen to begin their long day. 

*** 

By the time her mother had finished getting all of the details squared away (and bossing around her daughters et al) Erin had had enough time to simply forget about the fact that she had almost kissed her best friend. Okay, well maybe not totally forget. But at least totally ignore. And not dwell on. At all. Ish. and she definitely didn’t think about the feeling of Holtzmann’s warm palm against her lower back every time she looked at her friend. Certainly not. 

“Er? Erin? Earth to Erin?” Erin jumped as that same calloused hand waved in front of her face. “Usually I’m the one who’s the space cadet, Er-Bear.” Holtz said with a laugh and a wink. 

“Sorry,” Erin said and shook her head. “Just tired from all of the craziness I guess.” 

Holtz’s face softened from her smirk. “You okay? You want to take a breather?” 

“Nope!” Erin said, potentially suddenly too chipper. The word ‘breather’ led Erin to think about breath and then the feeling of Holtz’s breath mingling with her own and- “Nope!” She squeaked again. “All good here! What else do we have to do?” 

Holtz flashed her a worried glance but didn’t press the matter. “Um, your sister sent me to tell you that everyone is getting in the van to drive to the hotel.” 

“Oh okay. Ready to head out?” Erin replied, voice slowly falling back to its usual pitch. 

“I’m always ready for you, Hot Stuff,” Holtz said with a grin. Erin blushed and glanced away. She felt Holtz slip a hand into her own and stiffened, before forcing herself to relax. They both still had roles to play. 

As they rode in the back of her sister’s minivan to the hotel where the reunion was being held, Erin finally felt herself start to relax. She leaned more towards Holtz. They had been stuck in the back and the engineer had ended up sitting between her and Amanda. The little girl had initially wanted to sit in the middle, but her booster seat wouldn’t fit, so Holtz was the next smallest person. She was currently explaining to the little girl how ghosts were able to pick things up but also move through walls. 

“See ghosts have this thing called ectoplasm. It’s like how we humans have cells, except theirs regenerates really really fast. They can have an entirely new body in a matter of minutes. When a ghost goes through a wall, it’s really only the essence of a ghost that goes through. It actually takes a few minutes for it to reappear because it has to regenerate its ectoplasm. That’s why your Auntie Erin always gets slimed when a ghost tries to escape us.” 

Mina made a rather sharp turn and everyone slid left. Holtzmann let out a slight ‘oof’ as Erin fell into her, but didn’t even pause in her explanation for the girl. Instead, she simply slipped an arm over Erin’s shoulders and Erin happily laid her head on the other woman. The physicist let her eyes close as she enjoyed the warmth radiating off her friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just saw The Spy Who Dumped Me again today (my best friend loves Mila Kunis so we went together and flailed over them both. Luckily the theater only had two other people there), so it seems very fitting that this is where the infamous suit shows up. (It's the one on the poster, for those who haven't seen it)


	6. Chapter 6

When they pulled into the parking lot of the hotel, Holtz took one last look at her sleeping best friend before having to carefully shake her awake. Erin blinked blearily and Holtz stroked her hair as she woke up. 

“Wha-what? Are we here already?” Erin mumbled. 

“You fell asleep, babe. It’s time to go in.” 

Erin clumsily unbuckled her seat belt and stumbled out of the car after Holtz. “Sorry I fell asleep on you,” she said, starting to feel more alert. 

“It’s okay! You need rest! I know being here is probably stressful on you. I said I’m here for you no matter what, and that includes being a pillow if needed.” Holtz gave her a kind smile and a wink. 

Erin smiled back. “Thanks, Holtzy.” 

“Always, Er-Bear.” 

“Ready to go in?” Erin asked, stepping forward and lacing their fingers. 

“Lead on, MacDuff!” 

When Erin led her through the entrance to the ballroom where the reunion was being held, Holtzmann stopped short and stared, wide-eyed. 

“Erin there’s gotta be 150 or 200 people here,” Holtz gaped. 

Erin smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, this is kinda my mom’s entire half of the family. Some of these people I’ve literally never even seen before. There’s a reason we call it a gala. It’s honestly more just a chance to do a lot of networking than to actually see family.” 

“Wow,” Holtz breathed, trying to take everything in at once. 

“Up!” Squeaked a small voice near her feet. The two women glanced down to see Erica and a little boy near her age both making grabby hands at Holtz. 

“And who are you, little one?” Holtz said with a smile, kneeling to look at the boy. 

“Cammie,” he said shyly. “Purple pretty.” He poked her sparkly suit jacket. 

“Well thank you Cammie. You look very pretty too. Where’s your Mommy, buddy?” The little boy pointed over to where a woman was talking with Mina near the catering table. 

“Let’s go see her, okay?” Holtz picked up Cammie while Erin picked up Erica. 

“We’ve come to deliver two run-away packages,” Erin joked when they neared her sister. 

“Oh boy, thanks, Er. Erica saw Holtz and bolted to you guys so Cam followed her. I figured you’d bring them back over safely.” 

“One package returned to sender, signed, sealed, and delivered, at your service,” Holtz said with a lopsided grin and a two-fingered salute as she gave the little boy back to his mother. 

“Oh! I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce you,” Mina says in surprise. “Holtz, Erin, this is Amy. Er, she’s Great Aunt Mindy’s granddaughter from her daughter’s second husband.” 

“Oh, it’s so lovely to meet you!” 

“You as well!” Amy responded with a shockingly white smile. 

The afternoon continued much like this, with Erin and Holtz bouncing from person to person and conversation to conversation. Finally, after talking to one man for about twenty minutes (Holtz thought his name might have been Harry? Or maybe Herbie? Or potentially that was the last one and this one hadn’t even introduced himself. She had given up on trying to keep everyone straight in her mind) the man excused himself and it was just the two of them for a minute. 

“How are you holding up?” Holtz murmured, slipping a hand around Erin’s waist so that she could hold her close enough to actually talk to her softly over the sound of the band. Erin tiredly leaned into the contact. 

“I’m alright. I’m ready for it to be over. I can’t remember everyone’s names and I’m not even sure where I got this glass of champagne, to be quite honest. It’s a little overwhelming, but it always is, so I shouldn’t complain. I’m used to it. How about you? I know this is a lot to drag you into without some warning.” 

“I’m okay! I’m just here to be moral support, Er-Bear. Well, that and to stare at you in that pretty dress,” Holtz jokingly flirted, sending the taller woman a wink. Erin smiled and blushed. “Wanna dance to get away from the risk of people for a while?” Holtz pulled back from the side hug and held out a hand. 

“Sure,” Erin replied, gladly accepting the hand. 

Holtz led her to the dance floor and pulled her close. Even though the shorter woman was leading, she still let her head rest against Erin’s chest. She smiled as she felt Erin relax after a moment, eventually letting her chin rest atop Holtz’s blonde curls. They quietly swayed to the music for a while, simply enjoying each other’s presence. 

“Hey Holtzmann?” Erin asked after some time. 

“Hm?” Holtz hummed. 

“Thank you for coming with me.” 

“Anything for you, Er-Bear. Anything for you.” 

*** 

Three hours and what felt like 400 conversations later, the party began to wind down. Erin found herself sitting and playing with the little kids while Holtz went to go raid the snacks. 

“Hey Auntie Erin?” Amanda asked from behind her. Erin turned to look at the little girl while trying to not disturb the sleeping Erica in her arms. 

“What’s up, sweetie?” 

“You love Aunt Jilly, right?” 

Erin was slightly startled at the question, but after a moment’s thought she replied, “Yeah, honey. I do. She’s my best friend.” 

“Good,” Amanda said, and then went back to the coloring book Mina had left for her. Erin bit back a smile at the enigmatic little girl. 

After getting a plate of food for both herself and for Erin, Holtz finally reappeared. Erin shifted the sleeping baby to one arm and gratefully took the plate with the other. 

The two women sat with their backs to the wall and ate finger food while baby Erica slept. After a while, Holtz scooted closer and leaned her head against Erin’s shoulder. Erin tried to shift her niece without waking her so that the blonde could be more comfortable. 

“Want me to take her? I can give your arms a break,” Holtz finally piped up. 

Erin gladly handed over the little girl. “Thanks, babe.” She tried not to visibly react when she realized the term of endearment had simply rolled off of her tongue without her permission. She tried not to think about how easily the engineer had assimilated into her family, or how happy it made her to see Holtz curled up with a baby in her arms. Who knew that those oh so impressive worker’s hands could be so gentle and delicate when it came to a little kid? Erin supposed that it probably made sense due to Holtz’s proclivity for working on incredibly delicate machinery, but something about seeing her around little kids was an entirely different realm. It felt more intimate, somehow. 

Erin was shaken from her thoughts by Amanda once again wandering over to her. 

“Hi Aunt Jilly! Auntie Erin said you loved her because you’re her best friend. Do you love her too?” 

Both Holtz and Erin sat there gaping at the small child, each with matching pink cheeks. 

“Well, Amanda,” Holtz finally dared venture. “I definitely love your Aunt. Like she said, we’re best friends.” Erin thought she could detect a hint of a waver in the younger woman’s voice but wasn’t positive. 

“But you love me too, right?” The little girl pressed. 

“Yes, dear,” Holtz continued, now much more relaxed. “Your Auntie and I both love you a lot.” 

“Okay!” Amanda said happily, before wandering back over to her book. 

“Kids, am I right?” Holtz laughed, somewhat awkwardly. 

“Yeah,” Erin replied, hand coming up to rub the back of her neck. Luckily the tension was broken by Mina dragging an exhausted-looking Josh over to the two women and the kids. 

“Hey guys, I think we’re going to head home. You’re welcome to come back with us if you’d like. Mom and Dad will probably stay for a little while, but Mom drove her car anyway, so Dad doesn’t need to come with us. I have a key to the house.” 

Erin gratefully stood and stretched before offering a hand to Holtz. Josh took Erica from her arms when she stood. 

“I hope they weren’t too much trouble,” he said to her, nestling the baby against his chest. “Thanks for keeping an eye on them.” 

“It was our pleasure!” Holtz replied brightly. “They’re wonderful girls. Amanda really has a knack for scientific inquiry!” 

“Holtz, don’t start recruiting my nieces this early,” Erin laughed. 

“What? I’m just inspiring the next generation of women in STEM!” Holtz shot her a goofy smile. Erin just laughed back and intertwined their fingers. 

*** 

When they got home, all four adults agreed that a nightcap would just end in sleeping anyway, so they all just decided to turn in. That night, after Erin had turned off the light and both women were comfortably settled in the hot pink bed, Holtz spoke into the dark. 

“Hey Erin?” 

“Hm?” Came the sleepy reply. 

“Thanks for bringing me with you. I know these past few days have been a little hard to handle, what with your mom and her comments and all, but I’ve actually really enjoyed getting to know your family. That gala was really something else.” 

“Thanks for coming, Holtzy. I don’t think I could have gotten through this without you honestly.” Holtz didn’t have to be able to see her to know her friend was smiling. 

A few more minutes pass. 

“Hey Erin?” 

“Hm?” 

“You said you like cuddles, right?” 

“Mhmm” 

“Okay.” With that settled, Holtz scooted closer to the other woman and flung an arm and a leg over her before nestling her head on the redhead’s shoulder. Erin hummed in contentment. 

“G’night, Erin.” 

“Night, Holtz.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (pssst, I'm going to post a one shot after I post this chapter if any of you are interested. Totally different universe, but still Holtzbert ^+^)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is really short! D: The way I split it up was a little weird and this is what happened.

The next day was spent helping pack up and then saying goodbyes. Mina and her family left first, as they had a three-hour drive back. The girls’ father had to entice the kids away from their aunts with promises of visiting the women in New York. Holtz, in turn, promised Amanda to let her help with an experiment when they next met. (At Erin’s warning look, Holtz quickly assured the taller woman that it would mostly just be playing with a little ectoplasm and there would _absolutely not_ be fire involved.)

An hour later, Erin’s mom ushered them into the car to drive them to the train station. At first, Erin tried to assure her that they could just take a cab, but Mrs. Gilbert had insisted. After her having been icy to the women all weekend, the favor seemed suspicious, but Holtz kept quiet about it. 

About halfway through the silent trip, Holtz began to regret letting Erin take her mother up on her offer. Not only was the air once again tense, but the car ride seemed infinitely longer without a pretty redhead for her to “accidentally” brush against or lean her head on. Instead, the engineer opted to take a nap. 

When she next opened her eyes, the car was pulling into the parking lot and Erin was shaking her knee to wake her up. 

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, we’re here,” the redhead said as Holtz blearily blinked her eyes open. 

“Hmm sorry for falling asleep, babe. I try not to do any falling at all, unless it’s for you,” Holtz replied with a cheeky wink. She grinned at Erin’s blush before she heard the slight “hmpf” from the front seat. Right. Time to be the kiss-ass. The engineer hopped out of the car and walked around to the driver’s side door as Mrs. Gilbert opened it. 

“Thank you for the ride and for hosting me this weekend, Mrs. Gilbert,” Holtz said, shooting her friend’s mother a signature Holtzmann grin. 

“It was...no problem, Jil-” Mrs. Gilbert cut herself off with a sigh and gritted her teeth. “That is to say, Holtzmann.” 

Holtz’s grin widened and she shot the older woman a wink and a salute. 

As Erin said goodbye to her mother, Holtz got their suitcases out of the trunk and walked into the train station. After a moment, Erin joined her. When the redhead tried to take her suitcase, Holtz just held firm and shot her a grin. 

“Still in your mom’s vision, so I still get the chance to be the perfect boyfriend,” Holtz smirked. Erin’s cheeks pinkened. Holtz’s grin widened when she didn’t argue. The engineer transferred her duffel to the same hand as Erin’s pull behind and opted to slide an arm around the redhead’s waist instead. Together, they walked into the station, and away from their deceit. 

*** 

The train ride home was uneventful (aside from a slight bit of missing each other’s constant contact). When they walked back into the Firehouse, however, the women were immediately thrown back into their daily chaos. As Erin opened the door, Abby and Patty nearly ran over them on their way out. 

“Hey y’all, drop your stuff and get suited up! We’ve got a malevolent Class V out there!” Patty yelled, running to the garage to pull the car around. The two women snapped into action without a second thought. 

_Good._ Thought Erin. _This will keep things from being awkward. We’re always better with a task._

With their minds on the task ahead, the women dropped their bags in the lobby and headed out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the last! I'm kinda terrible at ending things, but here's hoping it doesn't disappoint ahaha!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it folks! Thanks for sticking with me!! And especially to GooseWithaNuke, Dreamshaper, and my anon reader Emma, because you guys have been there from the very start and commented on nearly every single chapter and I love you a lot. <333

Holtz was back in her element. While meeting Erin’s family and being ‘good’ for a few days had been nice and all, nothing could beat causing a little ghostly mayhem. As they fought the Class IV (Patty had exaggerated to get them to hurry because she was sick of having had to fight them just her and Abby), Holtz was able to simply immerse herself in her work. She made a mental note to do a tune-up on all the proton packs as she watched Erin’s pack stutter. The change wouldn’t have perceptible to most people, but to Holtz it was the sign that one of her ‘babies’ needed a little extra love. As she observed the pack (and with it, Erin), she noted a blue glow right behind the physicist. 

“Erin!” The engineer yelped. “Duck!” Erin ducked just in time for a chair (and a bit of ectoplasm) to narrowly miss her head. 

“Thanks!” She shouted back. 

“Keep an ear out, love! This one likes to-” Holtz cut herself off when she noticed her slip of the pet name. Her cheeks darkened and her eyes grew wide in shock. “I-I mean-I don’t-I didn’t-” she stuttered. 

“Babe, behind you!” Erin yelled, seemingly oblivious to both the blonde’s slip-up and her own. Holtz turned and fired blindly, instinctually trusting her friend. Her shock, however, had slowed her reflexes and the next thing she knew, she was being thrown against a wall and the breath was knocked from her chest. She wheezed as the tried to sit up and stop the world from spinning before vaguely registering someone yelling her name. As she tried to blink away the fog, gentle but insistent hands pushed her back down to the ground. Her ears finally stopped ringing and her head cleared enough for her to figure out that it was Erin’s hands keeping her down, and the redhead’s worried face looming over her asking her to respond. 

“It’s okay, Er-Bear, I’m all good,” Holtz said with a cough. Erin finally let her sit up and pulled her into a hug. 

“Hey, I’m okay!” Holtz laughed, rubbing her friend’s back. Her hand came away sticky. “Aww, Erin! You got me all goopy!” Holtz jokingly complained. 

“Sorry,” the redhead chuckled, pulling away. “Patty ran the ghost through the Chipper, so we can go home now.” Erin stood and offered a hand to the blonde, who gratefully took it as she stood, before (somewhat mournfully) letting go and walking out to the car. 

The ride back to the Firehouse was quiet. All four women were exhausted both from the fight and (in Erin and Holtzmann’s cases) the travel. When they got back, Erin went to get cleaned up, Patty went to record the encounter, and Holtz declined Abby’s offer of a beer and instead went to the lab to tinker. While she was outgoing, Holtz was still very much an introvert, and the past few days had drained her. She fiddled for a while to calm her mind. 

Later (it could have been minutes or it could have been hours, Holtz wasn’t quite sure), the engineer heard the door click and she stopped banging around scraps of metal. 

“Holtz?” The woman in question poked her head up over her latest invention at the sound of Erin’s voice. 

“Hey there, Hot Stuff! Look at you, all wet and come to see me!” Holtz gave her a signature wink and Erin blushed and reached up to touch her still-damp hair distractedly. Holtz dropped the grin when she realized Erin had something on her mind. “What’s up? Need to talk?” 

“Um, yeah, sorry, I just, well, I have a question,” Erin stumbled, seemingly searching for words. She walked over and sat next to Holtzmann on the lab bench. When she finally looked the blonde in her face, there was worry clouding her eyes. “I’ve never seen you get distracted like you did today at the bust. Did I do something wrong? You were staring at me kinda intensely and I want to be sure I didn’t do something to make you mad or anything. I’m sorry if the reunion was too rough on you. You can just tell me if it was.” 

Holtz laughed and relaxed when she suddenly understood what was plaguing her friend. “Erin, I froze because I accidentally called you a pet name and you responded to it without thinking. You didn’t do anything wrong!” 

Realization dawned in the physicist’s eyes, followed by was appeared to be slight horror. Holtz felt her mood drop when she realized that Erin was upset because she’d called her ‘babe’. 

“Oh my God, Holtz, I’m so sorry that was so unprofessional. I guess it just slipped out! I’d gotten so used to it and then we switched so suddenly into busting-mode,” Holtz tried to interject and say it was all okay but Erin just kept talking. “And I didn’t even think about it. Oh God I know you don’t feel that way about me and I know it’s just a stupid crush” _Wait WHAT?_ “that I’ll get over but I promise that won’t ever happen again, especially with you having been so sweet all this time putting up with my insane family and being so kind to me and here I am just-” after trying unsuccessfully to get a word in, Holtz silenced Erin the only way she knew how. 

The kiss started rather messily, as Holtz had essentially just kissed the other woman’s open mouth, but as soon as Erin relaxed and responded the women seemed to fit together like puzzle pieces. Holtz slid one hand into Erin’s hair and the other around her waist as the other woman put her hands on Holtz’s shoulders. Eventually, they had to come up for air. Erin pulled away first and stared at her friend with her mouth open. 

“Wow,” she breathed. Holtz just giggled slightly and kissed her again quickly, before leaning their foreheads together and gazing at the redhead fondly. 

"Guess you have something to tell Mina now, huh?" Holtz asked, still out of breath and giddy. 

"Oh hush," Erin responded with a grin and a gentle bat to the engineer's arm. 

"Make me," the blonde whispered in reply. Erin happily obliged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it!!!! Thank you for reading!!!! If you're interested in getting to know a dorky bisexual nerd, feel free to send me a message on tumblr @ravenfeathers01, because I love talking to people and especially people who I share common interests with (in this case, Kate, Holtzbert, and/or Ghostbusters)!!!

**Author's Note:**

> come yell with me on tumblr! @ravenfeathers01


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